


A New Face

by ShadowCr0w



Series: Of Flowers and Clocktowers [1]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Based on a Tumblr Post, F/M, First Meetings, Fluff, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:49:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27312175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowCr0w/pseuds/ShadowCr0w
Summary: When Vex's watch is smashed in an unfortunate accident, she chances upon a shop that is filled to the brim with the most gorgeous plants she'd ever seen and a handmade grandfather clock.Then she meets two people who will change her and her brother's lives for the better.
Relationships: Keyleth & Vex'ahlia (Critical Role), Percival "Percy" Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III/Vex'ahlia
Series: Of Flowers and Clocktowers [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1994065
Comments: 5
Kudos: 89





	A New Face

Vex had stumbled upon the little shop by accident, really. So consumed with fear over having broken the watch that her brother had given her on their birthday, that she stumbled into a shop that was overflowing with flowers and plants in the storefront in some delusional effort to seek comfort from nature. The bell dinging above her head gave her away as someone new in the store but no one immediately came forward to greet her. 

A good thing as it allowed her to collect her thoughts, hands still shaking from where they held the destroyed watch to her chest and tears starting to dry on her cheeks while she took stock of what the hell had just happened. Nothing sinister happened, her watch hadn’t been destroyed on purpose but it had been a horrifyingly perfect situation in where she’d been out without Trinket so she hadn’t had her adorable warning system when a door was thrown open. Vex had raised her hands in defense of her body, but unfortunately her wrist, particularly her watch, had caught the brunt of the impact from the extremely apologetic goliath of a man. 

She hadn’t been able to react as her wrist  _ throbbed _ in pain, likely sprained or worse, broken and all she cared about was the fact that her precious watch had been broken. The glass had shattered, ruining the adorable arrow themed arms in the center and ripping the paperlike clock face underneath. The metal itself had been bent from the force of the impact that shattered her watch, though the leather of the wristband was still mostly intact as it was hard to ruin that type of fabric from a blunt hit. 

A little whimper welled up in the back of her throat, she had no idea how she was going to tell Vax that his present to her, one she  _ never _ went anywhere without was now ruined beyond any sort of repair. 

“Hey? Oh no! You’re crying, are you okay?” A woman’s voice rudely disrupted her wallowing, pulling her back to the fact that she had, indeed, just run into a random shop without properly taking stock of her surroundings. The woman in front of her was tall, taller than Vex with long, flowing red hair with the tips of her ears poking through the curtain of hair that indicated she was of elven blood, a half-elf like herself. She wore a look of concern on her face that didn’t look wholly out of place, a tell for Vex that she genuinely cared and likely had a bleeding heart.

Except, Vex wasn’t okay and it sounded likely stupid to anyone else but this damn watch meant more to her than she’d ever admit to Vax. 

“Stupid question.” The woman grimaced. “Um, can I get you some tea then? I know you’re upset but at least you stumbled into a shop that has someone who can make tea!” She offered Vex a hopeful grin, seemingly earnest in her attempt to cheer her up before she left to mourn the loss of her favorite watch somewhere in peace. 

Vex nodded absentmindedly, staring somewhere past the woman as even  _ more _ plants seemed to take up the space she had found herself in. For a moment, she was left alone while the owner of the shop (she assumed so anyways) disappeared behind the counter into the back and she distantly heard the sound of running water hitting metal followed by what was likely a gas stove being cranked up to heat up the contraption. Strange, Vex thought, she never knew a flower shop could have a little kitchenette inside of it, unless the woman also lived here? She did see that the place was two stories before she ran in, blinded by her tears to most everything else in the vicinity. All she had been able to comprehend had been a two story building with a little  _ we’re open!  _ sign attached to the door.

It was cute, honestly, someplace she might have visited to get flowers for her friends even before she ran in without thinking. There was something out of place, nestled amongst vibrant hyacinths and delightful daffodils was a grandfather type clock tower that tick-tocked without a care in the world, like it belonged exactly where it was. The wood gave away that it wasn’t too old, but obviously handmade and detailed on the sides with beautiful flower engravings. The metal finishings were gold and it was a  _ stark _ contrast to everything around her while also reigniting her worry over her watch. 

The woman was back in front of her sooner than she realized, holding two cups of tea as she took notice of Vex staring at the clock. “Oh! Do you like it? My roommate made it! I helped with the carvings!” She boasted proudly and led Vex over to it for her to see it upclose. It was easily taller than both of them, the pendulum swinging inside the chest almost entrancing with the calm way it swayed left to right and the thing itself was a beautiful brass type metal. 

All in all, Vex was enchanted by it, especially when it played an adorable little music at the top of the hour. 

"My friend, Percy made the clock tower, he's  _ really _ good with clocks and such!" The almost piercing look Vex had gotten from her led her quickly to believe that the reason Vex had been upset had been sussed out real damn quick. "So, um-"

"What's your name?" Vex interrupted, attempting to squash down the small flare of hope in her chest over getting her precious watch fixed. In shifting and taking the tea, she also grimaced at the flare up of pain in her wrist, reminding her that she definitely had more than one problem to deal with but she wanted to deal with the watch one first. 

But that was how she met Keyleth, the owner of the store/apartment/workshop where Vex had found herself in. Keyleth had very gingerly taken the broken watch from her, promising to pass it off to her best friend and get it fixed up almost like new for her which took a load of stress off of her back immediately. 

Then Keyleth closed up and took her to the hospital to get her wrist set because it had  _ definitely  _ been broken by the impact. She was the first person to sign Vex's cast, getting no small amount of bewilderment from her brother who couldn't get it out of her what happened. Luckily, Vax seemed to understand that she really was upset, especially since she didn't have her watch with her and he knew she never went anywhere without it. 

  
  
  


The first time Vex met Percy, she hadn't been expecting it. All she had intended to do was to drop by Keyleth's shop, browse for a succulent for Gilmore from her brother and maybe complain a little about how she couldn't pet as many dogs at work now that she had to take it easy until the break healed over.

She walked into the shop, carrying a few cookies with her that she managed to  _ not _ burn in order to gift them to Keyleth for helping her the other week when she saw a man with white hair and gold rimmed spectacles peer at her from the back of the shop. Vex almost dropped what she was holding when she saw him, a little breathless at his absolutely  _ beautiful _ face that was just a tiny bit marred from the quizzical look he was tossing her. 

"I'm afraid if you're looking for Keyleth, she isn't here right now. But she'll be back within the hour, I can certainly try to help you but, ah, I'm no good with plants." He shot her a sheepish grin that only baffled her further because she had been prepared to handle Keyleth's adorableness but  _ not  _ this man's own. 

Vex stayed where she was, cookies in one hand and her arm in its cast/sling ensemble in the other, staring gobsmacked at him. He seemed to get that she was obviously here for  _ something _ and emerged from the back, blearily cleaning his glasses on his apron so he could get a better look at her. "Ah, are you Vex'ahlia? Keyleth mentioned a woman who'd come in with a broken watch, and a broken wrist." 

The sound of her name coming from him was one of the best things that had ever graced her ears. That also meant that  _ this _ was Percy, the best friend that Keyleth had talked up, boasting about his "magic fingers", which if Vex hadn't been so upset she would have definitely made a crass joke or three at those words. "Ah-" she cleared her throat so she wouldn't squeak- "That means you're Percival?"

His face screwed up again. "Please, just call me Percy."

"Then call me Vex." She responded in kind, pulling a little smile from him as he seemed to test her name out. How could someone be this adorable? Keyleth had been enough but now here Percy was, already a darling to her even though all he knew about her was what Keyleth told him. "I came to- I thought Keyleth was here so I came to thank her." She held up the cookies and maybe the redhead not being here was a good thing, she could ask Percy about her watch. 

And give him cookies.

"Ah, she's off today and is visiting her father. I'm here to handle any orders mainly, plus the workshop in the back." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder towards where he had come from. Then a thought happened upon him, "Your watch!" He exclaimed. 

Vex grimaced and got closer to him so she wouldn't shout across the shop. She was briefly distracted by the grandfather clock as it cheerily chimed out that it was noon, telling her exactly how long she had to see what was happening and get home before Vax got back at two and questioned her. "Yes, I hadn't intended to pester about it so soon but, if I can, how is it?"

He actually looked excited that she asked that and Percy rambled on that it had been a beautiful watch, a little mournful that something beautiful had been broken so savagely by happenstance. "Luckily, It is mostly cosmetic work! The actual casing didn't take much damage so I can have it fixed within the week, should my schedule allow it." Vex hadn't expected to be dragged into the back to his workshop, much less for him to show her the gutted watch on his workbench. 

However, she certainly didn't mind pressing close to him to get a better look at the different things he pointed out around the workbench. Vex  _ definitely _ didn't mention it when he got off topic, choosing to ask her more about the watch and how she got it, even so far as to asking her more about herself. She didn't miss the way his ears tinged red when she absentmindedly touched his arm, a gesture that was automatic from her but unexpected on his side. 

"So, um-" she interrupted him when he started another sentence. Percy's mouth shut with a little click and he was back to watching her with that inquisitive look. "Keyleth did mention that you do this sort of thing for a living, tinkering and all the entails. I was wondering how much I would owe you?" That was another reason why she had been so worried about her watch being broken, she couldn't afford to have it repaired  _ nor _ replaced. Hell, it had been a miracle that Vax had been able to buy it back from the woman who had it after most of their mother's stuff had been auctioned off after she passed. 

Percy pursed his lips, seemingly a little confused as to her sudden inquiry after they'd been standing around and talking for a bit now. "Nothing, it is a favor for Keyleth and for you, since we are friends now." 

She liked the sound of that but still, it was far too generous and she  _ wanted _ to take the offer, it just didn't sit right with Vex that he wanted nothing for the service he was doing by repairing something of massive sentimental value to her. "I insist,  _ something _ is appropriate at least?" 

He eyed her for a minute, thinking it over after her insistence. The silence between them reigned, so quiet that the distant  _ tick tick tick  _ of the ornate grandfather clock could be heard even in his workshop in the back of the store level. Percy really wasn't going to make her pay, he had better sense than to put someone out when they were clearly upset over something, plus it really was a favor for Keyleth's new friend. 

Who was  _ absolutely _ stunning and so sharp minded that she had picked up on what he was talking about with fascination. 

The sound of his stomach growling made him flush bright red and pulled a laugh from Vex, something he was  _ eager _ to pull from her again. "Tell you what, let me clean up and lock up, maybe we could have lunch? If that would help? Plus, I would quite like to get to know you more." 

That sounded like a  _ dream _ to Vex and she rapidly agreed. It may not be proper but, honestly, she was starving as well and the cookies had disappeared over half an hour ago. So, she would happily go to lunch with him and pay him back for his kindness for fixing her watch. 

Except. Vex didn't get to pay as Percy hurriedly took the bill from her sight. 

And she was  _ definitely _ late to meeting Vax, which he took notice of and immediately hounded her as to why her face was like  _ that _ . She just shoved him with her good hand, unable to stop smiling after having a wonderful lunch with Percy.


End file.
